Asian Para Games: Pramod Bhagat-Sukant Kadam pair reach men’s doubles semifinals

Hangzhou [China], October 25 (ANI): Ace shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam continued their brilliant run in the ongoing Asian Para Games as both shuttlers secured their semifinal spots in both singles and Men’s doubles.

Bhagat and Manisha Ramdass also secured a bronze medal in Mixed Doubles XD SL 3 – SU 5 category.

In the men’s doubles SL3-SL4 category, Bhagat and Kadam defeated the Thailand pair of Teamarrom Siripong and Sangnil Singha to secure a semifinal spot securing another medal for India.

The match was tight with Pramod and Sukant securing the first game easily with a score of 21-10, in the second set the Thailand pair made a comeback taking the set 21-19 and in the third set Pramod and Sukant made a comeback and didn’t allow them any room. The final score read 21-10, 19-21 and 21-12.

In a bid to retain his Asian games gold, Pramod Bhagat faced China’s Xiong Lichuan in the SL3 category quarterfinal match.

The Paralympic gold medalist looked in top form as he dispatched his opponent in 31 minutes with a scoreline of 21-14, 21-8. Pramod never looked threatened and right from the start of the match showcased his dominance. He will now face Thailand Mongkhon Bunsun in the semifinals.

In the mixed doubles SL 3 – SU 5 category Pramod Bhagat and Manisha Ramdass went down fighting in the semifinals to Indonesia’s pair of Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani. They secured a bronze medal; the match was tight with the first set going to the wire 19-21 and the second set 14-21.

On the other hand, Sukant Kadam defeated South Korea’s Shin Kyung Hwan in the SL4 category quarterfinals to secure a spot in the semifinals confirming another medal for the badminton contingent.

The match was tough with SUkant going down in the first set 12-21, but the ace shuttler made a good comeback with some great shots and strategy winning the next two sets. The final score read 12-21, 21-17 and 22-20, this win will give him a boost for his semifinal match against Malaysia’s Mohd Amin Burhanuddin.

In other results Nitesh Kumar and Murugesan Thulasimathi secured a bronze in the Mixed doubles SL3-Su5 category, Manasi Joshi secured a bronze in SL 3 category, Vaishnavi Puneyani secured a bronze in the SL4 category, Nithya Sre qualified for the semifinals in SH6 category, Krishna Nagar qualified for semifinals in SH6 category, Suhas Yathiraj qualified for semifinals in SL4 category, Nitesh Kumar qualified for semifinals in SL3 category.